MYTHS & LEGENDS QUARTERLY: BLOOD OF THE GODS, from Zenescope Entertainment on December 21st, 2022, turns the witch-hunting action dial to ‘HIGH’ when Hellchild crosses paths with Gretel and Calabar to save kidnapped children from a coven sacrifice.
The Details
- Written by: Pat Shand
- Art by: Sergio Ariño, Daniel Mainé, Ricardo Osnaya, Hakan Aydin, Saint Yak
- Colors by: Maxflan Araujo
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Al Barrionuevo (cover A)
- Cover price: $8.99
- Release date: December 21, 2022
Is It Good?
MYTHS & LEGENDS QUARTERLY: BLOOD OF THE GODS gives you more action, more story, more character development, and more setup for big things to come than you could possibly imagine in a single quarterly. Based solely on the question, “Do you get your money’s worth of story?”, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’ There are a few down points, but on the whole, you’ll come away from this triple-sized issue satisfied.
Pat Shand swings for the fences in this script about a simple mission that escalates to world-ending proportions for Hellchild, Gretel, and Calabar. The trio not only encounters mercenaries and witches, but they eventually face off against undead witches, undead zombies, bloodthirsty gods, and the promise of war. Remarkably, Shand also manages to squeeze in the backstory on both Gretel and Hellchild to make this quarterly a solid jumping-on point for readers who know nothing about these characters.
You could argue that Shand tries to do too much by stuffing in every scrap of story imaginable on every page. However, every scrap is memorable and well done. The pacing is smooth, the dialog is excellent, and the action is thrilling. Sure, some of the backstories could be cut, but it works within the context of the plot.
The major down point of the issue is the lack of art consistency. If you hadn’t noticed from the credits, there’s a squad of artists in this book, and it shows in the jarring transition of art styles from one section to the next. To be clear, none of the artists deliver sub-par work. They’re all strong within their own styles. However, the styles are radically different from each other, so when the handoff happens, it’s noticeable, and it takes you out of the story.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We catch up with Hellchild (a demi-god/vampire hybrid) cracking drug cartel skulls in her bid to hunt down the crime boss called Death God, who put out a hit on her own. Hellchild found a warehouse rumored to be holding stolen children, and those rumors prove true when Hellchild is confronted by witches claiming to be in service to the Death God.
Meanwhile, Gretel and Calabar happen upon the same warehouse on a tip from one of their recent witch hunts. Finding Hellchild in need of help, they join the fight and decide to team up. Throughout the quarterly, Hellchild, Gretel, and Calabar regularly split up and team up to face off against witches, more witches, the undead, and Mayan gods.
We conclude the issue with a child sacrifice ritual, an offer to pick sides, and Mother Margaret.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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MYTHS & LEGENDS QUARTERLY: BLOOD OF THE GODS gives readers their money’s worth with fights, monsters, backstory, character development, big and small consequences, remembrances of the past, and setup for the future. There’s almost too much story for the page count, but the story is executed with efficiency and grace. However, too many art cooks spoil the kitchen as multiple artists with radically different styles frequently take you out of the comic.
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